• This does not refer to story length

KCB001

When you pace a novel, it is the speed at which the action/scenes takes place. I am sure a lot of you are familiar with the phrases “slow paced novel/fast paced novel.” Pacing is another VERY IMPORTANT factor when it comes to writing a novel.

Make your pace slow and you lose your readers. It is not a risk but a huge certainty and a lot of you are FAILING MISERABLY in this regard here on wattpad.

For some of you who might not have understood what your reviewers found wrong about your novel (stingy reviewers), or they found something wrong they couldn’t point out, it is high likely your pace has a hand in it.

After all, a lot of you waste pages upon pages on the daily activities of your characters. You guys need to address this serious issue. There are some writers who write well and I would love to read their novels but I become dispirited when I see this kind of thing. Even if you are writing about a typical teenage life of a high schooler, (something a lot of you are obsessed with; cliché alarm!) shouldn’t the story have some kind of plot?

You cannot say “I am just writing the everyday life of a teenager” and because of that shove your reader through a series of boring details.

Pacing affects the mood of your novel and any reader would be moody when they come across a novel that drags.

Now, fast paced novels are another issue. They are just as terrible as slow paced ones, nothing is better than the other. I’m sorry, I am referring to those fast paced novels. There are some that are meant to be fast paced, for example, horror, thriller . . . I think it’s just those two. These can be fast paced, but rushed novels are destructive.

I have had times when I would be reviewing novels and in every scene I would be like;

“What happened? How did we get here?” Scrolls up. “Is this really what the writer had in mind? Why does it feel like some things are being skipped?”

Proper pacing should lie somewhere in between and there are a number of ways in which you can adjust the pacing of your novel. I feel some of these are widely known but I’ll repeat it.

If you want to slow down the pace of your novel, you need to make your sentences longer. Please, no run-on sentences. I think this works because my novel moves at a bit of a fast pace and of course, as it’s fantasy, I lengthened a lot of my sentences. While doing this, it’s hard not to fall into the trap of running over your sentences but once you are aware of it (especially during the editing phase) it won’t be that much of a problem. Making your sentences or paragraphs longer can do a bit to slow the pace. Just keep in mind that making it unnecessarily long can bore your readers. Remember, balance.

This next suggestion is something I can gratify works because I applied it too in my own novel. Subplots. This is something I can say works tremendously. Without the subplot in my novel, it would be a hurried mess of speedy circumstances. With subplots, not only will you be adding “obviously” a small part to the main plot, you will also be introducing characters who will appear throughout the course of the novel, adding scenes for you that wouldn’t normally be there. This decreases the pace and also adds some depth to your overall novel. Of course, there can be more than one subplots and that will take even more time for the novel to reach the end.

Description is an amazing way to slow the pace of your novel. This involves digging into details you would have skimmed through normally. I wouldn’t advise doing this with world building info dumps (you know how info dumps are). I don’t really know how to explain this but let me put it this way using my book. My main character discovers a secret history important to the plot. I have done a bit to slow the pace, but I could slow it even more if I did one thing. I summarized the events of that past, but to stretch it, I would have dived in and written full details of what happened in that time period.

However, this depends on the writer/readers. You can feel such information is not important enough for you to expatiate but if your novel is rushed, it would be nice to slow things down by diving in. You can also write physical descriptions. Just don’t forget about the show and not tell rule.

I don’t know too many, but you can browse the internet for other means to slow your pace. The above are the ones I strongly believe will work so I am not sure about the rest. Next, to quicken the pace . . .

A direct opposite to the above. Writing in short sentences can quicken the pace. This is true and I suggest reading novels for you to see the effect. I remember receiving my draft back from a proof reader and she kept telling me to shorten my sentences when it came to action scenes and some other areas. Short scenes go directly to the point without wasting any detour.

I dashed across the roofs. The tiles slid away at the intruding soles of my feet and my scarf fluttered in the harsh wind. I risked a look back. Thank goodness. I had lost them.

If you wanted to slow the pace;

I flitted across the roofs, the tiles creaking and sliding off the mortar screed with each sharp prance of my feet. The wind bit at my face, tugging at the scarf woven around my neck as if to tear it off my possession. I tilted my neck to dart a quick glance behind me and I sighed, slowing to stop. Thank goodness, I had lost them.

Apart from the obvious difference, you can tell which was faster to read and get over with.

You can also limit or remove subplots from your novel to hasten the plot. This is fairly easy and of course, involves the painful process of deleting some characters. All for the greater good.

Another way is to shorten your chapters. It’s an odd l one, but funny enough it works. A lot of people would be willing to go through a novel if it dashes out short chapters. But I wouldn’t advise you depend on this method. But it’s a tad effective. But couple this with cliff-hangers and it becomes very effective.

If you are looking to strengthen your pacing, I am still somewhat of a novice when it comes to writing so the only thing I can suggest now is just to visit the internet. They have more helpful suggestions.